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I decided to rummage through my closet yesterday and cam across some old BETTER HOME AND GARDENS vegetable cookbooks from the late 70's. I had actually forgotten they were in there until that point. I thought it would be fun to look through the books and see if their are many differences between cooking vegetables now versus 40 years ago. My oh my what a difference!  This is a collection of vegetable recipes that are "all time favourites" of yesteryear. Immediately upon opening the book I realized that times have changed, every recipe I saw used canned condensed soups, jiggly gelatin of some sort, and strange combinations of products that made for interesting final results.
One thing I DID like about this book was the information provided for each and every vegetable under the sun. The book breaks the chapters into "vegetables" teaching you the simplest cooking method and for how long. It also provides recipes for each vegetable but as I mentioned, the recipes leave lots to be desired! I've snatched a few recipes and plan to totally update them with my twist and share both the original, and my version with you all in the upcoming weeks. If you're a new vegetarian, books like this are great because you're learning about vegetables and the basics of cooking them properly which is handy in the kitchen. Just avoid the gelatinous salads for lunch and you're golden! HAPPY VEG
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This dish takes inspiration from a dish my friend and I prepared over the weekend. You can combine many different things together and toss them with pasta for a delicious and fairly fool proof meal. Fresh zucchini and tomatoes provide the juice needed to combine with butter and herbs for a fresh and tasty "sauce" to coat the shells with. Give it a try! RECIPES TAB!
Make sure to visit my personal blog and other tabs often for updates :)
HAPPY VEG
This week I'll be sharing every tomato sauce I've made into one post, there's been so many easy ones that I've forgotten to share so it'll be a quick resource link!
I'm going back into my JOY OF COOKING to find some meat recipes I can turn vegetarian and better than ever! Stay tuned! HAPPY VEG  Head to the RECIPES tab for the recipe for this delicious side dish! HAPPY VEG  When I first became a vegetarian, my first few grocery trips were excruciating. Hours spent reading the ingredients on everything only to discover it contained some sort of meat product or by-product I couldn't consume. It can feel overwhelming at first but it is also important because some of your favourite products likely contain these things and depending on how devout you plan to be, you don't want to be eating any hidden animal fat, marrow, or anything else.
I say this because I just recently made this mistake despite doing this vegetarian thing for 10+ years now. I purchased some Uncle Ben's Instant Rice pouches from the grocery store and I've read some of them in the past but quickly grabbed 3 bags and tossed them into the cart. I convinced myself once home to skim the ingredients just to be safe and sure enough, one package contained GELATIN as an ingredient. I'm able to give it away to a family member of friend but it's a rookie mistake. Take the time to skim at the grocery store and save yourself the extra couple dollars! HAPPY VEG Going out to dinner with friends or family is always a treat. Delicious food prepared and served by someone else is ALWAYS a bonus especially when they are a chef! At the same time, it can get expensive if your eyes are bigger than your stomach. .
This is something I've now learned after making the same mistakes repeatedly when ordering. Remember, portion sizes in the restaurant are usually quite large so when you order be mindful of this when thinking about your appetizers. IF your are sharing an appetizer between 2 or 3 people this is the best situation, cost and portion wise. Ordering an app for yourself always sounds good in theory, until A) your main arrives and you're stuffed. or B) your bill arrives and it's hefty. I don't know how many times I've had to package up my dinner to go. Truthfully, some foods are just as good reheated but burgers, sandwiches, fries etc, these items usually don't taste nearly as good the second time around. Just a thought! HAPPY VEG I had an extremely enjoyable time off from work this weekend and visited Toronto with a friend.
I will be preparing a few good things this week so make sure to check back often! Also, I've added a personal blog where I will share more personal stories, photos, and reviews of things unrelated to my love of food :) HAPPY VEG Caprese salad is one of the most beautiful dishes not only in its presentation and simplicity, but its fresh and flavourful taste. Fresh and beautiful Basil, juicy Tomato, soft and delicious Mozzarella, and a beautifully dark and robust Balsamic reduction. Really just a flavourful delight. I've recently tried to "Caprese" some traditional dishes and foods and let me tell you, these ingredients really work in so many ways! I've already made a Caprese Pasta Salad http://happyveggie.weebly.com/recipes/caprese-pasta-salad and it was definitely a hit. What else have I discovered that tastes great with these contributing flavours? Try a twist on grilled cheese. Line the bottom slice of bread with mozzarella.slices (from the brick), halve some cherry tomatoes and place sporadically. Roll and slice a basil leaf and sprinkle over the sandwich. Top with more slices of mozzarella. Butter and fry both sides to golden brown. The mozzarella oozes over the tomatoes and every bite is a surprise burst of tomato and fresh basil. DIVINE! Also, the same ingredients taste great on Veggie burgers (In particular, GARDEIN Mini Chikn Sliders). Whip up a nice balsamic mayo and you've got a fabulous and flavourful burger!
Try to Caprese you're favourite dishes and I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised!
HAPPY VEG
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Hey everyone, Jonathan here and I'm the Happy Veg! I love creating vegetarian recipes that everyone can enjoy, whether you're going vegetarian for the first time, or giving meatless Monday a go! Thanks for visiting the blog and have a great day xo
--Jonathan Archives
April 2025
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